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The Athletic

The Athletic's Chelsea experts - Simon Johnson, Liam Twomey, Luke Bosher, Sam Parkin and Dom Fifield - are alongside host Matt Davies-Adams to bring you behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge. Expect unrivalled insight, honest opinion and stimulating debate.
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Straight Outta Cobham - A show about Chelsea

28 games later...

Matt Davies-Adams has got Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey with him to look back on Friday night's 2-1 victory over Palmeiras. 

The Athletic's Senior Data Analyst Mark Carey was in Philadelphia for the game and sends us his thoughts - before we take a closer look at Cole Palmer's return to the scoresheet, the hugely impressive debut of João Pedro who was literally just on the beach a few days earlier - and a look at how Andrey Santos faired after his late call up to the starting XI.

So, next up it's the Blues' third meeting with a Brazilian side in the tournament as they take on Thiago Silva's Fluminense at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. We look ahead to the game and ponder whether Nicolas Jackson will be left out in the cold again?

Finally, we've got the latest transfer news with Jamie Gittens officially announced as a Chelsea player - plus the latest on Noni Madueke's potential departure to Arsenal... 

We'll be back on Thursday to look back at the semi-final showdown with Fluminense... and look ahead to Sunday's final?! 

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams 

WITH: Liam Twomey, Simon Johnson and Mark Carey 

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Estêvão scores but Cole does too as Blues set up Thiago Silva reunion

The Estêvão Derby is upon us... 

Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin back with him to look ahead to Friday night's Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras in Philadelphia. 

Brazilian football aficionado Jack Lang pops by for a closer look at the Blues' opponents - and what we should expect from Estêvão going forward...

We've got reflections on Kepa's departure (we'll always have the 2019 Carabao Cup Final, ey?!) - excitement around what João Pedro could bring to the squad, and a quiz!

We'll be back on Monday to review the Palmeiras clash and with any luck be looking ahead to a semi-final tie as the CWC enters the final stages... 

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams 

WITH: Liam Twomey, Sam Parkin & Jack Lang

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Palmeiras preview, hello João Pedro & goodbye Kepa

We hope no one had any plans on Sunday morning...

Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson alongside him to look back on the bonkers 4-1 (AET) victory over Benfica in a crazy match that lasted more than four hours and included a near two-hour delay due to extreme weather.

We discuss the pretty farcical scenes in Charlotte which the Blues boss labelled a 'joke', the wonderful resurgence of Reece James who looks well and truly back to his best - and we salute Christopher Nkunku's contribution - even if he still looks set to leave the club after the tournament! 

Elsewhere, there have been some eye-catching transfer developments with the news that João Pedro and Jamie Gittens look to officially be on their way to Stamford Bridge. What do those signings mean for the current crop of attacking talent and what will they bring to Enzo Maresca's side?

We'll be back on Thursday to look ahead to the last eight showdown with Palmeiras in the early hours of Saturday morning in the UK!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chelsea storm into quarter-finals after dramatic delay & flurry of extra-time goals

The Bank of America Stadium awaits...

Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin in tow for your latest dose of Club World Cup chatter!

We start with the MD3 3-0 victory over ES Tunis on Tuesday night in a balmy Philadelphia which saw the much-changed Blues comfortably wrap up 2nd place in the group - and arguably a much more favourable route to the final... 

Then, attention turns to Charlotte and Saturday's last 16 meeting with Portuguese powerhouse Benfica. 

With so much history between the two clubs - it would be remise of Matt not to conduct a quiz...

We'll be back on Monday to review Saturday's Benfica showdown and hopefully have a quarterfinal to look forward to!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Delap's delightful first goal and a last 16 date with Benfica

We didn't want to go to Miami anyway...

Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Chelsea experts Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson alongside him to look back on the 3-1 defeat by Flamengo in Philadelphia which means there's work to do if they want to progress to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup.

We talk Nicolas Jackson's red, more confusing selection and tactical decisions, Cole Palmer's struggles and whether we should be cutting this group more slack given the circumstances...

So it's a shootout for second place in the group on Tuesday night in Philly as Enzo Maresca's side take on Es Tunis. What can we expect from them - and what do we want to see from Chelsea as they look to bounce back from Friday's disappointment? 

Elsewhere, we react to the news that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged by the FA with violating its anti-doping rules - and could now face up to a four-year ban.

We'll be back on Thursday to discuss all the fallout from the ES Tunis game - and hope that the Blues have set up a round of 16 tie to look forward to on Saturday night!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jackson sees red (again) as CWC progress hangs in the balance

22,137...

Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Liam Twomey and Luke Bosher alongside him to look back on Chelsea's opening Club World Cup victory, beating LAFC 2-0 in a much less than half empty Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

We discuss the bizarre atmosphere inside an arena that's intended to house 71,000 raucous spectators - analyse the contributions of Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap who'll be vying for that starting No. 9 position - and the balance of the team with Enzo Fernandez having to be satisfied with a goal off the bench. Plus - a bonus bit of Olivier Giroud who has rather fond memories of his time at Stamford Bridge!

Next up in the competition the Blues are off to Philadelphia to take on a Flamengo side who sit top of the table in the ongoing Brazilian Serie A - and are managed by Filipe Luís and have Jorginho amongst their ranks! Will it prove a step up in quality?

And finally - get yourselves ready for the VisitMalta Weekender (!) at Stamford Bridge... we discuss the bizarre truncated pre-season that Enzo Maresca and the players are having to contend with with Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan lined up as opponents in the week before the start of the new Premier League season.

We'll be back next week to look back on Chelsea's remaining CWC group games against Flamengo and ES Tunis as they look to secure safe passage to the next round of the competition and book a trip to Miami... 

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Liam Twomey and Luke Bosher

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beating LAFC, empty seats (loads of them), Conference League vibes & Delap's debut

We've won it all...

Matt Davies-Adams, Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher assemble to celebrate Chelsea's Europa Conference League triumph as they came from a goal down to beat Real Betis 4-1 in Wrocław!

We talk through the dramatic evening in Poland including eyebrow-raising team news, a tumultuous first 45 minutes, a sprinkling of Palmer magic and an emphatic comeback.

What will this trophy mean for the club going forward? How big a show of character was the second half performance? And how much of a success has Enzo Maresca's first season in charge been?

We also react to the breaking news that it looks like Liam Delap could be on his way to Stamford Bridge...

We'll be back next week for a more considered look at the 2024-25 campaign as a whole - and look ahead to the impending Club World Cup!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chelsea Champions! Cole Palmer & co complete Conference League comeback

It was never, ever in doubt...

Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey alongside him to wrap up the 1-0 final day victory over Nottingham Forest to seal Chelsea's participation in next season's Champions League.

Liam was on hand to soak up the atmosphere at the final whistle - and was in the room as Enzo Maresca silenced the haters with a... kind of F-bomb?!! We reflect on their defensive steeliness, ability to get over the line and dig deep and banish their poor away form to get back at Europe's top table after a two-year absence. 

Then, it's all eyes on Wrocław as we preview Wednesday evening's Europa Conference League final showdown with Real Betis. Who makes the starting XI given there's been so much chop and change between the league and cup sides? And how important is it for the Blues to finish the season on a high by adding this trophy to their cabinet?

We'll be back with our post-final round up on Thursday! 

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chelsea beat Forest to finish fourth - now can they add another trophy to the cabinet?

It all comes down to this...

Matt Davies-Adams has got Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher alongside him to look ahead to the final day of the Premier League season aka Nottingham Forest (A) aka the MDA Derby to end all MDA Derbies.

The Athletic's Nick Miller - who happens to be a Forest fan - stops by to give us an insight into what the Blues should expect from the hosts at the City Ground - who still harbour hopes of nabbing a Champions League spot should they win and results elsewhere go their way.

So, what are Chelsea's chances of getting the win? Who will Enzo Maresca trust up top? And what are the ramifications if they fall short? 

Plus, we've got a quick look ahead to next week's Conference League final, following the midweek pre-match media day which saw the boss express his frustration at the scheduling and confirm that Filip Jörgensen WILL start in goal.

And of course - we've got a quiz with a Forest flavour.

We'll be back on Monday to hopefully be celebrating Chelsea's safe passage into next season's Champions League AND a look ahead to Wednesday's final.

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher, Simon Johnson and Nick Miller

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can Chelsea banish away woes at Forest to seal Champions League football?

It was never going to be pretty, was it?!

Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Chelsea experts Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson alongside him to look back on the narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League on Friday night.

We talk Marc Cucurella's incredible hot streak in front of goal, the invaluable contribution of Reece James which is making team selection difficult for Enzo Maresca - and the changing mood around the club and in the boardroom following the final home game of the season. 

Then it's off to Wembley - where CFCW wrapped up their remarkable domestic campaign in style by completing the treble in a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Man United. 

We'll be back on Thursday to look ahead to the MDA Derby to end all MDA Derbies... yikes!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nervy United victory sets up grandstand finish at the City Ground as CFCW complete the treble!

Well, that didn't go very well...

Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson alongside him to look back on the pretty abject 2-1 defeat by Brighton on Saturday night which saw Chelsea dumped out of the FA Cup.

We take a deep dive into the lacklustre performance, the absence of any fight or desire from the players - and the growing feeling of discontent around the job that Enzo Maresca is doing following his post-match comments that they could now 'focus on the Premier League and Conference League' - which it's fair to save haven't gone down particularly well with the fanbase.

No such problems for CFCW - who fought back from a goal down to beat Everton 4-1 and book their place in the quarterfinals of the Women's FA Cup.

We'll be back on Friday to look ahead to the trip to... oh no, Brighton!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

 

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is pressure mounting on Maresca after meek FA Cup exit?

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